In a study done in 1997 in an upstate New York hospital, samples of feces were analyzed for antibiotic resistant E. coli (resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol or kanamycin) from 4 groups of individuals: the population at large in the community, nurses at large from the community, hospitalized patients who had received no antibiotics, and hospitalized patients who had received some kind of antibiotic (not necessarily the ones previously mentioned). Please review the results given on the next page.
Table 1. Percent of People with E. coli in Feces Resistant to Ampicillin (Am), Tetracycline (Tc), Chloramphenicol (Cm) and Kanamycin (Km)
Source of subjects
Am
Tc
Cm
Km
General
Community
52
45
8
4
Nurses
48
37
2
4
Hospitalized
Patients with
No Antibiotics
57
34
0
4
Hospitalized
Patients with Antibiotics
95
79
84
74
Now answer the following questions about the data:
a. Which population displayed E. coli with the greatest antibiotic resistance to the 4 drugs mentioned?
b. Speculate as to why this population would have E. coli with greater antibiotic resistance than the other populations. (Hint: how do bacteria control gene expression? How are genes that share a common function arranged?
In a study done in 1997 in an upstate New York hospital, samples of feces were analyzed for antibiotic resistant E. coli (resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol or kanamycin) from 4 groups of individuals: the population at large in the community, nurses at large from the community, hospitalized patients who had received no antibiotics, and hospitalized patients who had received some kind of antibiotic (not necessarily the ones previously mentioned). Please review the results given on the next page.
Table 1. Percent of People with E. coli in Feces Resistant to Ampicillin (Am), Tetracycline (Tc), Chloramphenicol (Cm) and Kanamycin (Km)
| Source of subjects | Am | Tc | Cm | Km |
| General Community | 52 | 45 | 8 | 4 |
| Nurses | 48 | 37 | 2 | 4 |
| Hospitalized Patients with No Antibiotics | 57 | 34 | 0 | 4 |
| Hospitalized Patients with Antibiotics | 95 | 79 | 84 | 74 |
Now answer the following questions about the data:
a. Which population displayed E. coli with the greatest antibiotic resistance to the 4 drugs mentioned?
b. Speculate as to why this population would have E. coli with greater antibiotic resistance than the other populations. (Hint: how do bacteria control gene expression? How are genes that share a common function arranged?
